Gerbil

[jacks_mum]

Hi

Not horse related but has anyone got experience of Gerbils?

One of ours is dehydrated. Don't know why, nor does the vet. I found him on Thursday evening curled up in a little ball, very light and unresponsive. I had a vial of Baytril in the house so immediately put him on that and started syringing water into his mouth. I am still doing it. I'm knackered as having doing this hourly/every two hours since Thursday. He has improved slightly, he now has lucid periods and sits up to take the syringe of water so I do think he is getting better.

my question is: has anyone else a) had this problem, b) successfully restored their Gerbil to health, c) got any further advice for me??

 

[jacks_mum]

i'll take that as a 'no' then shall i?

 

[ru-fi-do]

I'm sorry i've never had gernils before, but can they eat any fruit or veg that is of wet matter? I hope the litlle feller gets better soon. Is there any gerbil websites?

 

[K9Wendy]

What age is your gerbil? I only ask as I know they are very short lived little creatures, and maybe he is old (in gerbil years). Juicy fruit is a good idea if he will eat. Also do check your ball was working correctly in the drinking bottle, in case he was denied access to water (causing dehydration). You are a very dedicated owner. I found it hard enough getting up to feed my babies at night!!

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Sorry my gerbils didn't last long enough to get ill - The cat got them!!

Opps

 

[shellonabeach]

My only experience with a very sick gerbil was one which had Tyzer's disease. We got him round with baytril and babyfood (the little jars you can buy - Apricot custard was his favourite) feeding every 4 hours and keeping him warm on a heat pad. He wouldn't eat the babyfood if syringe fed but would eat it if some was squirted out in front of him.

He was also taken to the vets daily for saline injections as he was very dehydrated which she also put vitamins / minerals in (made him look like a hunch back until it was absorbed. It took 2 weeks to nurse him back to health.

Of course you haven't mentioned that yours has diarrhoea as mine did.

On the other side of the coin I have found when mine have been near the end, due to old age, they have become very thin (almost overnight) and towards the end hardly moved before passing in their sleep or being helped by the vet.

Currently I have one gerbil who has lost her top incisors who gets babyfood everyday (as does her fat fully-toothed companion!)

Best wishes to the little fellow.

 

[jacks_mum]

ah, baby food - that's a good idea.

They are just over a year old, it is just the one that is ill so I am guessing that the water bottle is ok. He is taking more water from me noe but I hadn't thought about baby food - I'll go and get some.

He doesn't have diarrhoea so not Tyzers.

Thanks for your best wishes - I hope he pulls through too. they are such sweet litlle critters - I'd never have got them but OH grovelled. of course now one is ill he can't cope with them so it's down to me!!

 

[Nic]

When my wee sisters gerbil took not well we put a tiny amount of whiskey in his water & he drank quite the thing after refusing to eat or drink. It perked him up but maybe ours was just a bit strange!

 

[jacks_mum]

I'm not sure there's an answer to that!!!

 

[K9Wendy]

Many many years ago my friend had a hamster, he was called Hammy (as were all hamsters 30 years ago). We came in from school to her house one day to find her Mum with Hammy under the grill... YES the grill!! Now it was on a very low setting, and he stank of brandy, how he didn't ignite we never knew. Turns out she found him 'dead' panicked and thought she should give him some brandy and warm him up!! He was off course in hibernation, he slowly came round then promptly went back to sleep and lived to tell the tale LOL..

That was in the days before the internet (don't even think we had telephones) so nobody to ask advice off, vets didn't really do hamsters either!!!

 

[jacks_mum]

ROFPMSL

there is definately no answer to that one!!!

my GOD, poor Hammy.

 

[shellonabeach]

Mine have a snugglesafe heat pad which has a hard plastic outer and is heated in the microwave. Our vet also lent us one for a small deposit whilst ours was on order.

I also have been known to use it myself in bed on cold nights - the little critters only get it if they are poorly and need it!!

 

[Mid]

I adore Gerbils! Apart from guinea pigs, they're my favourite small furries!

Is the ill gerb the runt? In our little family of three brothers, the runt is usually the first to get ill, due to the fact that his brothers are greedy with food and drink, and will happily push him out the way. He did outlive poor Spice and Splat, though...

 

[brighteyes]

Oh bless! Gerbils are ace and good on you making the effort. No ideas WSE about why he's ill, but I'd be doing the heat and rehydrate thing. Pity there's no 'Peter Gurney' for gerbils. He's the best for piggies.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

[jemima]

PMSL at drunken gerbil under the grill - sorry!

 

[Llwyncwn]

Pmsl at grilled hamster. Sounds like your mum and Hammy had a great party. (sorry if this sounds inappropriate)!

 

[jacks_mum]

Well he's still with us this morning and seems a tiny bit brighter. I got some Apricot Custard baby food last night and he leapt for it!! He drank 6 syringes of water yesterday and I only got up twice last night, he ate baby food and drank both times. This morning he only drank a little water and turned his nose up at the baby food but ran through to the feed room in their little complex and rooted through the feed bowl!! He ate half a bit of popcorn and wandered back off to bed. So I am hoping he may have turned a corner. I just hope it's not that old adage of 'they always get better before they get worse', that would be too cruel.

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone.

 

[Nic]

Yay fingers crossed & if in doubt get him drunk!

 

[JustKickOn]

not a gerbil, but my guinea pigs babe had that problem in the summer, she was hardly drinking so i got one of them big syrynges (sp) and she drank the droplet of water i squeezed out of it, over the next week she drank about 10 pints of water, alot for a guinea pigs and is now fit and healthy. hope your gerbil gets better!

Lizzie x

 

[jacks_mum]

thanks RL, he's getting better every day now - even played in his wheel for a minute this morning. I got to sleep all night last night for the first time in 6 days too.

Well done with your Guinea Pig, I know how hard it can be to get them back, they kind of decide to die regardless of what you do!!